Upper Heavy
Bench + press top sets- Bench press4×3–5 RIR 1
- Overhead press3×5 RIR 2
- Barbell row3×5 RIR 2
- Chin-up3×AMRAP
- Tricep extension3×10
Workout template · Strength · Upper / Lower
Upper/Lower for Strength
The intermediate strength template. Bench, squat, press, deadlift — each hit twice a week, once heavy and once moderate. Enough frequency to keep progressing, enough recovery to keep grinding.
- Days / week
- 4
- Session
- ~60 min
- Split
- Upper / Lower
- Calories
- maintenance or slight surplus
The week at a glance
Two upper-body sessions and two lower-body sessions per week. High per-muscle frequency, simple weekly template, forgiving of a missed day.
Mon — Upper Heavy
Bench + press top sets
Tue — Lower Heavy
Squat + deadlift top sets
Thu — Upper Moderate
Volume day
Fri — Lower Moderate
Volume day
Why this combo works
You are chasing kilograms on the bar, not centimetres on the tape. Volume drops, intensity climbs, rest gets honest.
This is a light-heavy variant. Heavy days sit at RIR 1, working across a top set of 3–5 reps. Moderate days sit at RIR 2–3, hitting 5–8 reps to build volume without burning recovery.
Sessions
Sets × reps and RIR (reps in reserve) exactly as prescribed.
Template — adjust loads to you
Cardio & progression
Cardio
1–2 Z2 walks per week. Nothing more.
Progression
Weekly progression. Add 2.5 kg to heavy-day top sets when all reps are cleared at RIR 1. Moderate day follows the heavy day by ~5–10%.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from 5/3/1?
Similar philosophy, simpler bookkeeping. This template asks you to add weight when reps go up; 5/3/1 uses fixed percentages of a tested max.
Can I run this for bench specialisation?
Yes — bump bench to 5 working sets on heavy day and 4 on moderate day, drop one accessory to make room.
Do I need a deload?
Every 4–5 weeks. Drop working weights by 10% for one week when top-set velocity gets ugly.
Get this plan auto-adjusted to you
bodyBot.ai adapts every set, rep and rest to your recovery, equipment and week-over-week progress. This template becomes your program — not a static PDF.